The idea was planted five years ago, when Adhiraj Mustafi and his team at Prospect Advisory and Management started working on a plan to organise a music festival spanning all genres. A festival that would put India on the global music map. After much delay, and two aborted attempts, the three-day festival finally takes off on Friday, with Delhi’s original “rock” band Indian Ocean.

But make no mistake — this is no Woodstock in the making. “We want to move away from the general perception that most people have about music festivals,” says Smriti George of Prospect A&M.

And original music it will be. After listening to entries from all over the country, and some from abroad, a jury of established individuals from and outside the Indian music industry listed 60 bands covering genres from metal to indie rock, and nu-jazz to electronic music. “Eastwind aims to be a mass event for musicians and music lovers to come together and celebrate the great original content that is being generated in our own backyard,” says George.

“With so many international acts coming to India in the past two years, it’s about time we have our own festival to showcase the diverse music in India.”

Apart from the music, there will be stalls of record labels, music equipment and hardware companies, music management companies and more. And using music to spread the word, Prospect has tied up with the NAZ Foundation to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS. “We believe a festival platform would be the ideal way to gain access to a large number of young people and educate them about HIV/AIDS in a way they would understand and appreciate,” says George.